N3 Reading · Test 72

The correct answer is 2 (しか). The sentence is 「日本のラーメン屋には箸しかないことが多く」—'しか' must be followed by a negative form ('ない'), and the pattern Nしかない means 'there is nothing but N / only N.' Here it means ramen shops often have ONLY chopsticks (no forks), which made eating difficult for the writer who preferred forks. The grammar pattern しか～ない is the only option that pairs correctly with the following ない.

• 1だけ means 'only,' but it is used with affirmative verbs (箸だけある = 'there are only chopsticks'). It cannot pair with the negative ない that follows in this sentence, so it is grammatically wrong here.
• 3でも in 箸でもない would mean 'not even chopsticks,' i.e., the shop doesn't even have chopsticks. This contradicts the context—the shops DO have chopsticks, just not forks.
• 4まで with a negative (箸までない) is not a natural construction. まで typically means 'even' with affirmative predicates, and it does not fit the しか～ない pattern needed here.

• しか～ない — nothing but ~; only ~ (always used with a negative verb)
• 苦手にがて — not good at; weak at
• ラーメン屋（ラーメンや） — ramen shop

The correct answer is 4 (そこで). The preceding sentence has the shop clerk saying 'どれでも自由に持ってみてください' ('Please feel free to try holding any of them'). そこで means 'so / then / upon that'—it connects a suggestion or situation to the action taken in response. The writer, upon hearing the invitation, then tried holding several pairs. This is a natural cause→response sequence.

• 1例えば means 'for example.' Inserting it would read 'For example, I actually tried holding several,' but there is no preceding general statement that an example would illustrate. It does not fit the flow.
• 2一方で means 'on the other hand' and is used to present a contrasting or simultaneous situation. There is no contrast here—the writer is simply responding to the clerk's suggestion.
• 3ところが means 'however / but' and signals an unexpected result contrary to expectation. The writer's action of trying the chopsticks is a natural response, not something unexpected, so this is wrong.

• そこで — so; then; upon that (connects a situation to the response/action taken)
• 実際じっさいに — actually; in practice
• 持もってみる — to try holding

The correct answer is 1 (使うようにしました). Vるようにする means 'to make it a habit to do ~ / to make an effort to do ~.' The writer bought chopsticks to practice and then, every day at home, deliberately made himself use them. 使うようにしました captures this intentional, repeated action perfectly.

• 2使ってもいいです means 'it is okay to use (them).' This expresses permission, not the writer's own deliberate practice. The writer is the one acting, not granting permission.
• 3使うようになっています describes a current state ('it has become the case that ~ is used'), typically used for systems or arrangements, not a personal intentional habit. It also sounds like describing someone else's arrangement rather than the writer's own effort.
• 4使ってほしかったです means 'I wanted (someone) to use (them).' The writer himself is the one practicing, so wanting someone else to use the chopsticks makes no sense in context.

• ～ようにする — to make an effort to ~; to try to make something a habit
• 慣なれる — to get used to
• めんどうくさい — troublesome; bothersome

The correct answer is 4 (ラーメン屋の). The writer practiced at home with the chopsticks bought at the specialty shop. After about a month, he went to a ramen shop. すると ('to my surprise / then') signals an unexpected result: even the ramen shop's chopsticks—which are different from his own practice chopsticks—became easy to use. The key point is that his practice transferred to OTHER chopsticks, namely the ラーメン屋の箸.

• 1この ('these') is ambiguous—'these chopsticks' could refer to his own, but the surprise (すると) is that DIFFERENT chopsticks also became easy. Using この loses the contrast between his practice chopsticks and the shop's chopsticks.
• 2こういう ('this kind of') is vague and does not specifically identify which chopsticks. The sentence needs to contrast the shop's chopsticks with the writer's own, so a vague 'this kind' does not work.
• 3箸の専門店の ('the chopstick specialty shop's') would refer to the writer's own purchased chopsticks. He already practiced with those for a month, so being able to use them would not be surprising (すると implies an unexpected result). The point is that the ramen shop's chopsticks also became easy.

• すると — then; to my surprise (signals a subsequent/unexpected result)
• 楽らくに — easily; without difficulty
• 慣なれたところ — just when I had gotten used to it

The correct answer is 3 (箸のおかげです). おかげ means 'thanks to ~' and is used to express that a positive result was brought about by someone or something. The sentence reads: 'The reason I became able to use chopsticks well is thanks to the chopsticks I bought at the specialty shop.' This expresses gratitude/causation for a good outcome, which fits perfectly.

• 1箸のほうです means 'the chopsticks are the better/preferred one,' using ほう for comparison. There is no comparison being made here; the sentence is explaining the cause of success, not comparing options.
• 2箸だったのです means 'it was the chopsticks.' While this could grammatically complete the sentence, it merely states a fact ('it was the chopsticks') without the nuance of gratitude/causation that おかげ carries. The context calls for expressing that the chopsticks were the reason for the positive result, making おかげ the more natural and correct choice.
• 4箸だったはずです means 'it should have been the chopsticks,' expressing speculation or expectation. The writer knows for certain that the chopsticks helped him, so はず (should be / ought to be) is inappropriate.

• おかげ — thanks to ~; because of ~ (for a positive result)
• あきらめる — to give up
• 楽たのしみ — something to look forward to